A full - term pregnancy is, quite literally, right around the corner. It's hard to believe I've already been pregnant for eight months (though I know this year hasn't necessarily passed any more quickly than last year or the year before that - time flies these days). I guess I just expected pregnancy to slow down the clock and the calendar for some reason.
People with children of all ages tell me that this doesn't change once the kids escape the womb, and that the teeny, bleating baby they brought home yesterday is now in kindergarten, in high school, starting a family, etc. I can't wrap my head around having an actual baby yet, much less looking back on his or her infancy with nostalgia.
We're nearing ready to bring this baby home, at the very least. I know nothing will prepare us emotionally for the experience, but we're slowly accumulating the things required to sustain the life of an infant! Our travel system sits in the basement waiting for the day we (hopefully remember to) grab the carseat and base on our way to the birth center. Two large boxes of baby clothes+bedding (in need of sorting and washing) should get us through the first month or so in terms of not having a naked baby. We have a few bottles, which won't see the light of day for a few weeks if all goes as planned. A crib, dresser, and changing table await assembly; we still need to get a mattress for the crib. I bought nursing pads and baby wipes at Target yesterday. (nursing pads, incidentally, are massive - like, 'half an overnight menstrual pad' massive. no wonder nursing bras are so huge and bulky!)
The only thing outstanding is the diaper situation. We've been planning on cloth diapering all along, but it may be the last thing to fall into place before or after this baby is born. While I have several dozen pre-folds, I'm honestly not crazy about the idea of using those as our primary diaper. They're not particularly easy to use, and they won't fit a newborn. And the cost of starting out with all - in - one cloth diapers is imposing at $17 apiece. Assuming this kiddo goes through as many NB diapers as I did, we'd be looking at $30-35 a week (at Target prices) if we were to use disposable diapers. It doesn't sound like much, but that becomes $120-$135 a month. Most cloth diapers advertise that they pay for themselves in less than six months, which I don't doubt. It's just the start-up cost...we don't, and won't, have an entire paycheck to throw at a cloth diaper stash between now and October 1st. I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if we gradually acquired cloth diapers and used *some* disposable ones in the meantime. I've been stalking the interwebz for gently used cloth diapers as well...hopefully I come across some good deals. The cost of disposable diapering for well over a year is enough to justify continuing to acquire cloth diapers whenever possible - especially since this kiddo probably won't be an only child!
Craigslist + Amazon may end up being this mother's best friend as far as raising an affordable child goes. I'm driving out to Livonia today to look at some cloth diapers, and picking up a Moby wrap for $10 tomorrow. It's driving, yes, but hey - it's cheaper to run the AC in the car than it is to run it at home! And it's supposed to be 90 today and tomorrow.
Motor City Mama
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